Evansville citizens debate new hotel's merit | POLL

City Council vote set today

Friends Lori Powell, left, and Mary Rosenbarger are against the public fronting more than $30 million for a new Downtown hotel. "I don't think the tax payers should have to pay for it," Rosenbarger said.

Kenny Metz and Gwen Long enjoy an evening at the Wine and Jazz Festival on Saturday. Metz said he'd like to see a new Downtown hotel. "I'm all for it," Metz said. "It will bring money Downtown. It's a shot in the dark, but it's a shot. We've got to try."

Raben and Greg Hart drove here from Illinios to enjoy the Wine and Jazz Festival Saturday. As outsiders who visit and sometimes stay in Evansville hotels, they'd like to see a new Downtown hotel. “It would be nice to have a new hotel to stay in,” Greg Hart said. “With a view of the river. We’d stay there.”

Marvin Guilfoyle and Kristi Miller are both adamant supporters of a new Downtown hotel. “We all wrote letters to the city council urging them to vote yes,” Guilfoyle said. “They have to have a municipal death wish if they burn this proposal. This will solidify downtown. This will bring people in, bring money in a way you can’t imagine."

Walt and Lynn Lowe are both strong supporters of a new Downtown hotel. "Without it we lose all the convention and event business," Walt Lowe said. "They're not going to book a convention here if there is no place to stay."

EVANSVILLE - "We need a hotel here," Marvin Guilfoyle leaned in and spoke loud enough for his group of friends at the Wine and Jazz Festival to hear.

"If we had a hotel," the former Evansville City Controller motioned around to the bustling crowd at the Main Street festival on Saturday, "there would be more people here tonight."

Guilfoyle's friends all nodded in agreement, sipping their wine.

"We all wrote letters to the City Council urging them to vote yes," said Guilfoyle, a retired University of Evansville librarian. "They have to have a municipal death wish if they burn this proposal. This will solidify Downtown. This will bring people in, bring money in a way you can't imagine."

He was referring to an ordinance that the Evansville City Council is expected to vote on at its Monday meeting that would provide $31.5 million of public money for a proposed convention hotel and related infrastructure. The rest of the cost would be picked up by HCW, the project's developer.

The proposal has brought out stark supporters and opponents within the community. Supporters believe the new hotel will revitalize downtown. Many of those against the hotel don't necessarily disagree, but they insist the taxpayers should not pay to get it here.

"I don't think taxpayers should have to pay for it," said Mary Rosenbarger. Her friend, Lori Powell, nodded.

That's a view several City Council members have previously stated. Six of the nine members declared their opposition to the original public funding proposal which called for $37.5 million.

Friday, Evansville Mayor Lloyd Winnecke announced the proposed public contribution was to be cut by $6 million. He hoped doing that would sway some of the council members to vote yes.

"God, let them pass it," Kristi Miller said Saturday night. Her husband, Guilfoyle, and the others at the table all nodded. The group threw out multiple arguments proponents of the project have made since it was first proposed. A hotel would bring in more visitors and, importantly, conventions, they said. Without one, convention business would dry up in Evansville.

Raben and Greg Hart said they would patronize a new hotel if it were to come. "We live 45 minutes away and we like to come to Evansville for a weekend away," Raben Hart said.

"It would be nice to have a new hotel to stay in," Greg Hart chimed in. "With a view of the river. We'd stay there."